Hitomi Kanzaki Return to Gaia
by SakikoSakura
Summary: Hitomi Kanzaki is going back to Gaia. But there is another war and a mysterious event happens. What would it be? Read to find out. Bad at sum. Chapter 5 up!
1. Chapter 1

Hitomi Kanzaki Returns to Gaia  
  
Hi y'all I, Ria Rei, am back with a new fanfic that I made up. In my opinion it's better than my first one. I am a CCS fan. I just can't write CCS fanfiction that is very good. But now I am thinking of writing one that is based on The Sound of Music. Anyway this is my second fanfic so tell me what you think. Disclaimer: I do not own Tenkuu no Escaflowne/ Visions of Escaflowne or any of the characters except for one that will be revealed later (If I decide to put him in that is).  
  
Yo. Just to tell you, this story was (slightly) edited by me, Kitty Fields. So, yeah. ^_^  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
Three months have passed since Hitomi Kanzaki has been to Gaia. One day she received a very mysterious letter. It didn't look like the kind she was used to. The letter and envelope looked like it was from another century. She had seen one in her mother's antique store that almost looked like the one she was holding in her hand. It said her name on the front in some weird writing (Hitomi Kanzaki) that reminded her of Millerna's writing. She opened the letter and started to read. It said:  
  
Dear Hitomi,  
  
I know that you haven't heard from me in weeks and I am sorry. I also know that you have missed us here. So, I have decided that it would be all right to come back for a while. That is if you want to. If you want to come back, go to the same place where you first saw the light that took you here and I will send you your pendent. While you are getting to that place, I will be making my way to the forest to greet you. Here's what you have to do first. On this letter, put your name down and write down that you are coming back or you're not. Then go to the place where you first saw the light and place the letter down. Then leave. The light will pick it up and give it to me. I will read what you put and then wait for your arrival if you are coming back. And one more thing. If you are coming back, could you maybe find an old fashioned dress to put on as soon as we go back to my castle? I will lend you some shoes. I also have a newly made product that I want you to try out. Also could you wear your school uniform when you arrive so that I'll be able to recognize you?  
  
From your friend, Millerna  
  
P.S. have you let your hair grow at all since we last saw each other?  
  
P.P.S. One more thing. You have to come in one week or more cause I have to figure out a way to get the boys out of the way for a while. I'll tell you why when you get here.  
  
Hitomi finished reading the letter and answered the questions with of course I am coming back. And no I have not let my hair grow out at all.  
  
Hitomi sealed the envelope again and put her runners on. She ran to the racetrack and left the letter on the stairs. Then she ran to her mother's antique store that was called, 'Fabulous Antiques'. Her mother was behind a counter with the cash register on it. When she saw Hitomi, she walked away from it and said, "Hitomi-chan? What are you doing here? You usually don't come here very often." "I know," said Hitomi. "I should come here more often. I was just wondering if you have an old fashioned green dress that I could borrow."  
  
"Why do you want an old fashioned dress?" asked her mother.  
  
"I don't know. I just got the urge to find one and see if I look good in it or something like that."  
  
"Hmm. I see," said her mother and walked to a rack of clothes. "Aha! I think I found what you're looking for."  
  
"You have?"  
  
"Yes," she said and held up a dress that was the same one Hitomi was after.  
  
"That one's perfect!" exclaimed Hitomi.  
  
"Good. This one has caused a lot of trouble in this store."  
  
"It has?" asked Hitomi. "How come?"  
  
"Well, it seems that no one wants a dress that is this old and looks like this cause no one has bought it yet."  
  
"How much do you want it for?" asked Hitomi.  
  
"Well it's a pretty old dress and probably costs hundreds of dollars. But since you're my daughter, I think I can get you a deal on this or how about this? For one week, in order to pay for the dress, you can help me in the store for the whole day. Okay?" asked her mother and held out her hand.  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi and took her mother's hand in hers and the two of them shook on it.  
  
Meanwhile in Gaia, Millerna had just received the letter and opened it. When she read what Hitomi had written, she thought to herself, 'I had better find a way to get the boys out of the house and get ready for her arrival and fast'.  
  
During that week, Hitomi worked hard for her mother to earn the money for the dress. She worked for more than she needed to.  
  
On the night before she had to leave, she carefully folded the dress and put it in her duffel bag. Then she put a picture of her grandmother when she was young in it, too. She then put the duffel bag on the floor beside her bed.  
  
The next morning she got dressed in her school uniform and put her shoes on. Then she headed out the door and locked it behind her since her mother had already gone to work. Then she ran to the racetrack and waited for the light.  
  
Five minutes later it came and Hitomi ran to it. She made it just in time. Before the light started to take her, a small pink stone came down and went around Hitomi's neck. Then the light took her back to the place she knew, Gaia.  
  
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What will happen? Will Hitomi find out what product Millerna wrote about in her letter? Well did you like it? Was it good? Bad? Please review. The next chapter will come out in a few days. Since it's summer break, I'll have most of the summer to finish it. Hopefully. Anyway don't forget to review. 


	2. Chapter 2

Well here's chapter 2. It took me almost the whole day to do this one. This chapter resolves on Hitomi getting back to Gaia. And also the new product. Enjoy and please review. Disclaimer: As I said before I do not own Tenkuu no Escaflowne or Visions of Escaflowne.  
  
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Chapter 2  
  
When she finally got there, she opened her eyes and was laying on her back. She sat up and felt a little dizzy but she saw a young woman a few meters away. Hitomi stood up and leaned against a tree. When she let go of the tree a minute later she wasn't dizzy anymore. She picked up her duffel bag and ran up to the woman who was her friend, Millerna and tapped her on the shoulder. Millerna turned around and saw Hitomi and said, "Welcome back Hitomi-san. I'm glad that you were able to come back."  
  
"Me too," said Hitomi.  
  
"Well let's say we head back to my castle."  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi as they started walking. "Um Millerna-san?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What did you mean by new product?"  
  
"I'll tell you when we get to the castle."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Meanwhile while Millerna and Hitomi are walking in the forest to Millerna's castle, Van and Allen were at Van's castle thinking about why Millerna had told them to go to Van's castle.  
  
"So Van-san?" asked Allen Schezar as he sat on a chair outside.  
  
"Yeah, Allen-san?" said Van Fanel as he sat on a rock.  
  
"Why do you think Millerna-san told us to come here instead of stay there?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Hmm. Whatever it was, it must be important if she doesn't want us guys around."  
  
"Yeah. I guess so," said Van uncertain.  
  
A few minutes later Hitomi and Millerna were just entering her castle. Merle was waiting in the room that Hitomi had used when she was there last. When Hitomi and Millerna entered the room Hitomi was surprised to see Merle there instead of with Van. She said, "Merle-chan? What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Van-san?"  
  
"I am here to see how this new product works. And I'm not with Van-san because I thought I would leave him alone for awhile."  
  
"Oh," said Hitomi a little confused. She put her duffel bag on the bed and turned towards Millerna and asked, "So Millerna. How does this product work and what does it do?"  
  
"I'm glad you asked. I've tested it on a wig and it works very well. Better than I thought it would."  
  
"What do you mean that you tested it on a wig?"  
  
"Here I'll show you," said Millerna. "Merle-chan. Would you please bring me that wig on the dresser."  
  
"This one?" asked Merle as she picked it up.  
  
"Yes. That's the one."  
  
"Okay. What are you going to do with it?" asked Merle as she placed it on the table.  
  
"I am going to show you the results of the whole experiment I did."  
  
"Oh?" asked Hitomi and Merle at the same time.  
  
"Here. Take a look at this half," said Millerna pointing to the left side of the wig, "then take a look at the opposite side."  
  
Merle and Hitomi both looked and thought, in their heads, that the right side looked longer than the left.  
  
"Is it just me or is the right side longer than the right?" asked Hitomi.  
  
"I noticed that, too. Why is that Millerna-san?" asked Merle anxiously.  
  
"That's the effect of the new product."  
  
"The product grows hair?" asked Hitomi.  
  
"That's right and that's why I said in my letter that I need your help. Are you willing to try it out for me Hitomi-san?"  
  
"Sure. I guess so," said Hitomi a little uncertain. "But what will happen if I want it to be the length it is now?"  
  
"Then we use the other product I made. This one does the opposite of what the first one. It makes your hair go to the length it is now. I also have this stuff that when your hair is at the length you want it will keep it that way. Or if I put too much of the hair-grow formula in then if I put this in when your sure that's the length you want, it will stop your hair from growing from that point," explained Millerna.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yup. But don't tell anyone else about it. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi. "So for doing this thing what do I have to do? And how long does it take for my hair to grow as long as yours."  
  
"That's easy. All you have to do is sit in this chair and I wash your hair and add the grow-hair formula as soon as I have washed the shampoo and conditioner out. It depends how long it will take and how much of this stuff I need to use. For the length of your hair now it would probably take two or three palm fulls of the product. Then it will probably take about twenty-four hours or less for it to grow instead of years. Your hair will grow and inch every hour so I'm going to have to do some adding later. We also need to record what time we started at."  
  
"Cool! When can we get started?"  
  
"Now if you want," said Millerna.  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi as she sat in the chair.  
  
"I have a question first," said Millerna.  
  
"Okay. Ask away."  
  
"You've seen your grandmother when she was your age, right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well I was wondering if you would like to look exactly like her. You know. Same length of hair."  
  
"Sure," said Hitomi excitedly.  
  
"Do you think you can describe what her hair looked like."  
  
"No," said Hitomi, "but I did bring a picture of her when she was my age."  
  
"Really! That's great! May I see it?"  
  
"Sure. It's in my duffel bag."  
  
"I'll get it!" said Merle. She ran over to the bed and opened the duffel bag. She found it on top where Hitomi had put it. Merle ran over to Millerna and handed her the photo.  
  
"Thank you Merle-chan," said Millerna.  
  
"You're welcome," said Merle and sat down on the bed.  
  
Millerna looked at the photo and said, "Well I can do everything but the colour. Is that okay?  
  
"That's fine."  
  
"Okay then. The first thing I have to do is put your bangs in a few ponytails so that I don't get any the hair-grow formula on them. They will kind of hang in your face though and they'ill be tight so that none of them will come loose."  
  
"That's okay."  
  
"After I make sure that all of your bangs are in place, I'll put the grow- formula in the rest of your hair and rinse it out half an hour later. That's how long it has to stay in. Then I'll put the stuff that makes your hair not grow anymore on the bangs Then later I'll put the stuff on the rest of your hair when it has reached the right length. In fact I don't think you'll need to go to bed and worry about your hair getting too long. Before I put the stuff on though I will just trim your hair so that it will look straight at the bottom. Okay?" explained Millerna.  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi.  
  
"Okay. Let's do the bangs first."  
  
Millerna grabbed three hair elastics from the dresser and started finding Hitomi's bangs. When she had found them all, she tightly fastened them with the elastics. Then when she made sure they were tight enough, she said, "Okay Hitomi-san. They are all in place. Now I want you to lean back so that the back of your head is touching the sink. Kind of like a beauty parlor except a little different and I will wash your hair." She turned to Merle. Merle sat up in attention from slouching. "And Merle-chan?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I want you to listen for any signs of the boys. For example their voices, the door opening, knocking, etc. Okay?"  
  
"Okay Millerna-san."  
  
"Good girl. Now," she said turning back to Hitomi, "let's begin." She poured warm water on the back of Hitomi's head and grabbed the shampoo. She then poured a bit of shampoo on Hitomi's head and started rubbing. She rinsed the shampoo out. She grabbed the conditioner and did the same thing. A few minutes later she said to Hitomi, "Hitomi-san. Tomorrow when you wake up we are going to have to wash you're hair again and when your hair grows out in a few hours I will have to wash the bangs since I can't do them now. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Hitomi as she held her bangs in front of her, keeping them away from Millerna's hands.  
  
About two minutes later, Millerna wrote down the time and started to add the hair-grow formula to Hitomi's hair. When she had rubbed it in and rinsed it out, she said, "Hitomi-san. You're going to have to lay there for about 5-7 more minutes maybe even 10 so that you're hair can dry a little before you stand up."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
Van and Allen were walking to Millerna's castle. Five minutes later, when they got to the door, they knocked. From the room that Hitomi, Millerna and Merle were in, Merle heard the knock and said, "I think Van-san and Allen- san are back, Millerna-san. Would you like me to distract them?"  
  
"No. It's all right I'll go. You stay here with Hitomi-san. And Hitomi-san? Don't move."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Millerna walked down the stairs to the door and opened it.  
  
"Hello, Hime-sama," said Allen entering with Van behind him.  
  
"Allen-san. How many times do I have to tell you? You can call me Millerna- san."  
  
"I know, I know. I'm just used to calling you that."  
  
"Well you can stop now since my father isn't home. You only need to call me Hime-sama when he's around."  
  
"I know. I know," Allen said again. Then he mumbled, "I just keep forgetting."  
  
"Did you say something, Allen-san?" asked Millerna.  
  
Allen shot up in attention and said, "No no. Nothing at all."  
  
"Okay then." Then she said, "Would the two of you like some tea or something?"  
  
"Sure, if it isn't any trouble," Van said this time.  
  
"No trouble at all," said Millerna as she looked for the kettle in the cupboards.  
  
Just then Merle came running down the stairs saying, "Millerna-san! I heard Hit- Oh hi Van-san, Allen-san."  
  
"What were you saying before, Merle-chan?" asked Van.  
  
"Um. Uh," she tried to say. "Hitting your head on the banister really hurts. I ran into it while I was about to run down the stairs," she said and put her hand up to her head and rubbed it making a gesture for Millerna to go upstairs. Millerna saw the gesture and figured out what it meant. She said, "Oh, I forgot the kettle upstairs. I'd better go get it." (A/N the kettle is one of those metal ones. It's not a plug-in kind.) She ran upstaris. Van just gave Merle a doubtful look.  
  
Millerna hurried up the stairs and went into Hitomi's room. She said, "Merle almost said that you were here and that she heard you say something."  
  
"I did. I was just wondering if my hair felt dry enough."  
  
"Oh. Let me see." She felt Hitomi's hair and said, "Yup. It's dry enough."  
  
"So what happens now?" asked Hitomi. "And how am I supposed to know when my hair starts growing."  
  
"Well I also tried the hair-grow formula on my arm. When the hair was about to start growing, I felt a tingling feeling. So you'll probably feel one too. And for the first question you asked, you could stand up. I have to put this towel on your head so that your hair doesn't drip on the back of your school uniform or down your back. Take it off in about two or four more minutes. While the towel is on, you may walk around. Just be very careful that it doesn't come off and be quiet up here. In fact While you are walking, I suggest that you hold on to the towel. And whatever you do, don't come downstairs. When you take the towel off your head, you can maybe put the dress you brought with you on and try on those shoes by the dresser. If you want, I'll try to sneak you up a cup of tea with Merle- chan's help."  
  
"Okay thanks."  
  
While Hitomi was waiting for her hair to fully dry and start growing.  
  
"The tea is finally made," said Millerna as she set the teapot on the table.  
  
"Thank-you, Hime-sama," said Allen as Millerna glared at him. "I-I mean, Millerna-san."  
  
"You're welcome and thank you for correcting yourself."  
  
Van and Allen both sighed. (The sigh Btw was for the fact that Millerna always wanted to correct what people say. If the person didn't say it correctly or say the right thing, she gave them a look or glare.)  
  
"What was that for?" asked Millerna.  
  
"What was what for?" Van and Allen said at the same time.  
  
"That sigh. I saw it so don't you even try to deny it."  
  
"The sigh wasn't for anything."  
  
"You two are very weird today. How come?" said Millerna.  
  
Hitomi was listening from the stairs.  
  
"It's just that we overheard from some of the villagers that another war will be coming in about 6 months or so," Van said with another sigh.  
  
Hitomi gasped which was echoed, faintly through out the castle. The four of them heard it alittle.  
  
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Heh heh heh cliffhanger. What will happen? Will Hitomi get caught? Please wait for the next chapter to come out. I hope you enjoyed that Chapter. If you didn't, well that's okay. I am having fun writing this one anyways. This story is quite good even though it's is my second one. Anyway, I really hope you'll review and enjoy this story. 


	3. Chapter 3

Here's Chapter 3. I stayed up until about 2:30am writing this Chapter for all of you so please read, review and enjoy. Plus a bit of time to think of what I was going to write. Disclaimer (again): Tenkuu no Escaflowne and Visions of Escaflowne don't belong to me.  
  
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What happened in the last chapter:  
  
Van and Allen both sighed. (The sigh Btw was for the fact that Millerna always wanted to correct what people say. If the peson didn't say it correctly, she gave them a look or glare.)  
  
"What was that for?" asked Millerna.  
  
"What was what for?" Van and Allen said at the same time.  
  
"That sigh. I saw it so don't even try to deny it."  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You two are very weird today. How come?" said Millerna.  
  
Hitomi was listening from the stairs.  
  
"It's just that we heard from some of the villagers that another war is going to come in about 6 months or so," Van said with another sigh.  
  
Hitomi gasped which was heard a little by the four of them.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"What was that sound and where did it come from?" asked Van.  
  
'Uh oh,' thought Merle and Millerna as they gave each other a worried look. 'That, I'm guessing was Hitomi listening to what Van-san had just said about an upcoming war.'  
  
"Uh that was nothing. Probably someone from outside," said Merle.  
  
"No. I don't think so. I heard it come from upstairs," said Van getting up from his chair.  
  
"Uh. Really? Are you sure it wasn't from downstairs?" asked Millerna, trying to block his path.  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"I heard it come from upstairs too," said Allen. "Excuse us please Millerna- san. I think that we had better check the upstairs for any intruders. It could be a soldier, thief or something worse."  
  
"No don't!" said Millerna in a panicky voice.  
  
"Is there something wrong with your safety?" asked Allen.  
  
"No. It's just that it's a huge mess up there. I was organizing the place by folding clothes and haven't finished yet. There are clothes everywhere. I just don't want you to trip and get hurt while you're up there. It's best to just stay down here. The person might go away on their own."  
  
"Well we're not taking any chances at that. Besides, we're doing this for your safety," they both said and started walking towards the stairs. Hitomi heard what they were going to do and was leaning against the wall trying to take very small steps to her room while they were on their way. Millerna tried to block Allen's way to give Hitomi just enough time to get in her room and lock to door before it was too late. Millerna had the key with her. 'Uh oh. Hitomi's going to get discovered. Unless. That's it!'  
  
"Could you please wait here for a minute? I'll just take a quick peek and see if there's anyone in there. If I'm sure that no one is in there, I will tell you and I'll even you take a look for yourselves."  
  
"Fine. But be quick," said Van.  
  
"I will be," she said and ran up the stairs. "I'll stay here and make sure that," Merle said as she looked at the boys, "they don't move."  
  
"Okay Merle-chan. Thanks."  
  
She quietly walked to the bedroom door and knocked quietly on it.  
  
Hitomi remained silent.  
  
"Hitomi-san? It's just me," whispered Millerna.  
  
"Oh, Millerna-san. Thank goodness."  
  
"I know of a way that you can escape without anyone seeing you," said Millerna.  
  
"You do?" asked Hitomi. "How?"  
  
"Well first unlock the door. I have the key so I'll just lock it again when you leave. I'll show you where the escape I know is located."  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi as she unlocked the door. Millerna stepped in and removed a carpet that was in the closet. "Here it is. This passage way will take you to the basement. I suggest that you take your duffel bag with you because the boys will probably search the entire room. We both know that boys will do any thing to find something and that includes messing up the room."  
  
Hitomi giggled and said, "That's true. Thanks Millerna-san." Hitomi quickly put the shoes into her duffel bag along with her photo and dress and started to crawl through the tunnel.  
  
"I'll meet you there in a few minutes. Okay?" she asked as she opened the window. Then she scatered a few clothes onto the floor.  
  
"Okay. Why are you opening the window and scattering clothes onto the floor?"  
  
"Oh. Because I have a plan to get the boys out of the castle while I meet you down there. And I told them that the floor was covered in clothes because I was folding them. If they come in and find no clothes they'll get suspicious."  
  
"Oh. Well. Good luck getting them out."  
  
"Thanks," said Millerna and went back to the stairs.  
  
Hitomi went down the tunnel. Millerna locked the door again. Then she walked to the stairs.  
  
"What took you so long, Millerna-san?" asked Allen a little angry as Millerna came down the stairs.  
  
"I was walking really slowly the way you taught me just incase anyone was there jumped out of the door and wanted to pounce on me."  
  
"Good thinking Millerna-san. But it took you about 7 minutes to do that."  
  
"Well I was a little bit afraid."  
  
"Did you see anything or anyone while you were up there?"  
  
"No. I don't think so anyways. It looked like whoever it was just somehow got out of the casle. But I did see the curtains blowing in the wind indicating that someone was there and they had left the window open."  
  
"Oh. If the person did jump out the window or was walking sideways around the castle wall then he might still be there or nearby. Van-san, let's look around and see if he or she is still there. If he or she isn't we'll look around Austeria and make sure he or she is nowhere insight," Allen told Van.  
  
"Okay. We'd better hurry. The person might even be a fast runner," Van agreed.  
  
"Well we'd better be off. Thank-you for the tea Millerna-san," said Allen and he and Van ran out the door.  
  
"See you soon you guys," she called. Then she thought in her head,'Yatta. My plan worked. Now I have to go and meet Hitomi-chan in the basement.' First she asked Merle if she would unlock the door to Hitomi's room. She did so.  
  
Meanwhile in the basement Hitomi was looking at an old Guymelef that was leaned up against a wall and thought to herself, 'I wonder how long that has been there. And how old it is.'  
  
A few minutes later Millerna and Merle came down the stairs to the basement.  
  
"Hitomi-san? Where are you?" asked Millerna.  
  
"Over here Millerna-san," she said.  
  
They followed her voice and found her standing in front of the old Guymelef. Millerna got a little pale.  
  
"Hi," said Hitomi when they found her. "May I ask a question?"  
  
"Um sure," said Millerna still alittle pale.  
  
"What is a Guymelef doing in your basement?"  
  
'Well I- ." started Millerna.  
  
Sorry guys. I'm stopping here for the moment. Next chapter coming up. This took me awhile because I couldn't get on the computer for the past few days. Antway I hope you enjoyed that chapter. More coming up. Will Hitomi find out why there was a Guymelef in Millerna's basement. And why has Millerna turned pale all of a sudden. Will she gain enough courage to tell Hitomi why it's there. Find out in chapter 4. 


	4. Chapter 4

Well hi everyone. I am back with another chapter of Hitomi Kanzaki Returns to Gaia. I hope you are enjoying this story so far. And I want to thank you for the review. I don't want you to get angry so I won't put you name(s) up here. Anyway on to chapter 4.  
  
What happened last chapter:  
  
A few minutes later Millerna and Merle came down the stairs to the basement.  
  
"Hitomi-san? Where are you?" asked Millerna.  
  
"Over here Millerna-san," she said.  
  
They followed her voice and found her standing in front of the old Guymelef. Millerna got a little pale.  
  
"Hi," said Hitomi when they found her. "May I ask a question?"  
  
"Um sure," said Millerna still a little pale.  
  
"What is a Guymelef doing in your basement?"  
  
"Well I-." started Millerna.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Well I-um." started Millerna nervously.  
  
"Millerna-san? Is something wrong? You're a little pale," asked Merle  
  
"N-no Merle-chan," she said taking a deep breath. "It's just that I'm a little frightened that's all."  
  
"Frightened of what," she asked.  
  
"Fr-frightened of this G-guymelef, that's all," she said, her voice a little shaky  
  
"What for? It's an old Guymelef," whined Merle.  
  
"B-because it was my grandfather's. He used it in a war at about the time Hitomi-san's grandmother came to Gaia. This is the one he died in the day after her grandmother went back to her world," said Millerna, calming down a little.  
  
"Oh," said Merle. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up."  
  
"It's all right, Merle-chan," she said Millerna. Tears started to form in her eyes.  
  
"Do you miss him?" asked Hitomi. Millerna nodded. "Don't cry, Millerna- san."  
  
"Yeah, don't cry," said Merle in her perky voice. "Come on. Let's get out of here. It's starting to get cold down here. And also I'm starting to get the creeps."  
  
"Alright, let's get out of here," said Millerna not crying anymore and wiping her tears away from her face with the back her index and middle finger, "and thanks for telling me not to cry."  
  
"You're welcome," both girls said at the same time.  
  
Everyone started to walk towards the basement stairs when they heard Van and Allen shouting from the other side of the door to Hitomi's bedroom, "Millerna-san, are you in there?"  
  
"Uh oh. They're back," said Millerna. "I'll go out the door that the Guymelef used to use to get out. They don't know about it. Not even Allen- san and he's been through this whole castle a bunch of times. Then I will walk through the front door and tell them I went for some fresh air in the back of the castle. You go up the stairs and through the tunnel to the room and lock the door just incase they decide to check the castle again."  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi and started to walk up the stairs put with Merle behind her. Millerna walked to the secret Guymelef exit. She opened it and went out closing it behind her.  
  
Then she ran to the front door and walked in. Van and Allen hear it and run to door about to draw their swords. When they say that it was only Millerna, they took their hands away from the handles of the swords.  
  
"Millerna-san what were you doing out there at this hour?" asked a worried Allen.  
  
"I just decided that I would go out and get some fresh air while you were gone," lied Millerna.  
  
"We didn't see you out there," retorted Van.  
  
"I was out in the courtyard at the back of the castle."  
  
"Oh. Well then," said Allen. "How long have you been there?" "About an hour after you left," said Millerna.  
  
"I see. Do you mind if we stay the night here?"  
  
Millerna panicked. What if one of them saw Hitomi before tomorrow morning? "Um.sure. I guess so."  
  
"Thanks. Where do we sleep?" asked Van.  
  
"Um.I'll show you too the spare bedrooms. Follow me." Millerna start walking to the stairs. They followed her.  
  
Meanwhile, Hitomi and Merle had just opened the trap door in the closet. They walk in to the room and Merle sits on the bed. Hitomi went to the door and was about to lock it with the key that she had grabbed from the dresser, when she hears Millerna coming up the stairs with Van and Allen behind her. She decides to wait a bit before locking the door incase the lock made a bit of noise while it was locking.  
  
"Why aren't you locking the door like Millerna-san said, Hitomi-chan?" asked Merle.  
  
"Because the boys are out in the hall and I'm afraid that the door will make noise."  
  
"Oh. I see. But you had better lock the door soon though in case they decide to do an overnight search through the castle."  
  
Hitomi giggled a little at that.  
  
A few minutes later though she locked it and pretended to go to bed. Merle was already in bed.  
  
Again I am stopping here. Sorry guys. Next chapter coming up. I am hoping to get it up before Monday or on Monday. Don't forget to review for this one if you want more of Hitomi Kanzaki Returns to Gaia. If you spot any mistakes (spelling, grammical.etc) that I have maybe missed, copy it in to a word document with the mistakes being in red and send it to me at Ria_Spirit@ hotmail.com as and attachment with your name or username if you want. Thanks.  
  
Next chapter preview:  
  
When Merle was asleep and Hitomi checked to make sure she really was, she opened the closet and went through the tunnel in the nightgown that Millerna had lent her. She walked down the stairs toward the old Guymelef. She stood in front of it and wondered if it still worked. There was only one way to find out. She climbed up and sat in it. Automatically, it closed her in and start to move. 


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone. Sorry that the last chapter was so short. I didn't know what to write before the preview of this chapter. I hope this one will be longer than that one. Well, anyway here's chapter 5 (also thanks for telling me about that in your reviews). I was also busy with school and I didn't really have any ideas for this at that moment but this chapter might help.  
  
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When Merle was asleep and Hitomi checked to make sure she really was, she opened the closet and went through the tunnel in the nightgown that Millerna had lent her. She walked down the stairs toward the old Guymelef. She stood in front of it and wondered if it still worked. There was only one way to find out. She climbed up and sat in it. Automatically, it closed her in and started to move.  
  
Hitomi panicked and held on as best as she could. She kind of even let out a scream.  
  
~On the main floor of the castle~  
  
Van, Allen and Millerna suddenly woke up when they heard the high pitched scream come from the secret room.  
  
Van heard something moving in the secret room and decided to check it out. When he finally found the room, he tried to find the door. Another scream was heard as Van finally found the secret door to the room. There he sees a shadow of a guymelef moving on its own out the door into the moonlight. When he stepped into the room the door half closed behind him. The guymelef then stopped and opened. Van noticed that a figure of a girl was sitting in it. Van found the actual guymelef and ran to it.  
  
He climbed the old guymelef and asked in a kind of rude voice, "Are you okay?" (A/N Van doesn't recognize her for her hair had grown a lot. About 4 or so inches. Also it was dark. He can basically only see her shadow.)  
  
The girl didn't respond. Van saw her shadow nodded from the light of the open door inicating that she had nodded.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" he asked in the same tone. He saw her shadow shrug. "Well, I need an answer-" Just then the secret door opened again and there stood Millerna.  
  
"Oh hi Van-san. What are you doing here? I thought you went back to bed," she said. Van turned around and Millerna spotted Hitomi behind Van. "Oh. There you are."  
  
"Huh? You know this girl Millerna-san?"  
  
"Yes. She's a guest of mine," said Millerna.  
  
"I see," said Van, and turned back to Hitomi. "Do you need help getting out of there?"  
  
She nodded and Van carried her out. He put her down in a dark spot of the room and then went back to the castle.  
  
"Wow Hitomi-san. That was a close one," exclaimed Millerna when she made sure that Van wasn't listening.  
  
"Yeah. You came right on time," said Hitomi almost in a trembling voice.  
  
"You're still a bit scared aren't you?"  
  
"A bit."  
  
"Don't worry about it. The same thing happened to my grandfather when he first got into the same guymelef," she said in an soothing voice. "Come on. Let's go back to bed."  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi and they both went into the castle.  
  
~The next morning~  
  
Hitomi woke up bright and early beacause the sun was too bright. She got out of bed revealing a light emerald green night gown that she had borrowed from Millerna. She walked slowly over to the mirror and looked at her tired self. Her eyes widened a lot when she saw herself. Her hair was about half way down her back by now. A bit longer maybe execpt for her bangs which were the same as before.  
  
She started to brush it but had no luck since she wasn't used to having long hair. As she fummbled with her hair some more she heard a knock on her door. Millerna quietly walked in and saw Hitomi having a lot of trouble. The brush was about to her shoulders without Hitomi having it in her hand.  
  
"Hmph," was all Millerna heard Hitomi say.  
  
"Good morning Hitomi-san," she said not to loud as she closed the door.  
  
Hitomi tuned around and saw Millerna at the door.  
  
"Oh good morning Millerna-san."  
  
"Do you need help?" asked Millerna walking towards her.  
  
"Yeah. I've never had long hair in my whole life and it's driving me insane just to brush it. How are you able to brush your hair?"  
  
"Well, let's just say I've had a lot of practise."  
  
Just then another knock was heard from Hitomi's room. Millerna went to answer it. When she opened the door, she and Hitomi saw Celina.  
  
"Good morning Celina-san."  
  
"Good morning," said Celina glumly still in her pajamas.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Hitomi.  
  
"Well I heard a bit of your conversation from outside of the door. And well... I also need help." That was when Millerna and Hitomi noticed that Celina's hair looked brushed but wasn't and it was a mess in the back. (A/N did I mention that Millerna has used the product on Celina a while before Hitomi had recieved the letter? I don't think i did. So Gomen if it caused any confussion there.)  
  
"Oh I see," said Millerna. "I have an idea."  
  
"What would that be?" both girls asked in unison.  
  
"Well since the boys will be getting up soon, I think that we should should surprise both of them."  
  
"How?" asked Hitomi.  
  
"Well first we have to make you like you grandmother, Hitomi-san. Then when you come down the stairs, Allen-san will think you're the ghost of your grandmother since he has already her a while back."  
  
"I see. That sounds interesting," both girls said.  
  
"Then when I say, 'What would you like for breakfast Hitomi-san' Van-san will jump out of his chair so fast that he'll knock it down. Allen-san might, too. It'll be very interesting." (A/N I forgot to mention that I don't know most of their Japanese names. Gomen.)  
  
"Yeah," both girls said in unison again.  
  
"Okay so my plan is that the two of you help each other out with brushing your hair and getting dressed. Then I'll come back up and put Hitomi's hair in two braids but before we do that, we have to put the fomula on that stops her hair from growing. I think we should do that now."  
  
So that's what they did and minutes later. As Hitomi sat on her bed with the towel on her head, Millerna bushed Celina's hair. Later, when Hitomi had removed the towel later, Millerna said, "Okay now the two of you get dressed and I'll be right back up to fix both of your hair."  
  
Hitomi had brought along an almost identical blue kimono that her grandmother had worn. She didn't let anyone see it before, though. She would only wear it this one time. Then she would wear the green dress for the rest of the time.  
  
Hitomi put it on and Celina helped her put the sash on while she put on some green geta sandals. Then she helped Celina put a pink, frilly dress on and did a bow in the back.  
  
A few minutes later, Millerna came back up and was surprised at what Hitomi was wearing.  
  
"Where'd did that come from?" she asked, "I thought you were going to be wearing that green dress you brought with you."  
  
"I will but I wanted to be an almost exact image of my grandmother. I'm going to only wear this once," explained Hitomi.  
  
"I see," said Millerna. "Okay then. Let's fix both of your hair. The we can go downstairs and play that little trick." She winked.  
  
"Okay," both girls said.  
  
So they Millerna got to work. Just as they heard the boys go downstairs, she had finished with the girls' hair. (A/N: Merle was already up and downstairs ready to greet the boys.)  
  
"Okay, so here's the plan. I should go down first and Celina-san, you should follow soon after. But Hitomi-san should be right behind you. Then when Celina-san has gotten to the the kitchen, she should say something like a sign for Hitomi-san to start walking down the stairs. How about something like, "So Merle-chan when did you wake up?" I'll tell merle why you are going to be asking that."  
  
"Okay," siad Celina.  
  
"Then you sit down and pretend that nothing had happened a while ago."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"The when you, Hitomi-san, had come down the stairs, you should hide behind the closest wall to the kitchen. You should be able to see me or Celina-san from the wall you choose and then wait for another sign that I or Celina- san gives you. Okay."  
  
"Okay," said Hitomi.  
  
Millerna walked out of the room and went down the stairs to whisper the plan to merle. Celina walked out of the room a bit later and walked towards the stairs with Hitomi following close behind. Hittomi stopped as they got to the stairs. Celina walked down them and entered the kitchen.  
  
Hitomi heard the echo of her saying, "Good morning." Then she heard her asked, "So Merle-chan, when did you wake up?" After Celina asked that, Hitomi took off her sandals and quiety walked down the stairs while hearing Merles answer which was, "I guess about and hour ago or something. Maybe about the time that Millerna-san woke up."  
  
Hitomi had reached to the bottom of the stairs and went to the closest wall and peeked in while still holding her sandals. She was able to see Celina but not Milerena. Celina saw her and gave a gester to Melerna while the boys just read the paper. Hitomi put her sandals down and put them back on.  
  
A few minutes later Celina gestered her to come in and Hitomi walked in not making any sounds. She almost blew it when she tripped over a chair but the boys were too much into the paper so she sighed. Then, after Hitomi had walked to the counter, Allen put the section of the paper down that he was reading and stretched with his eye's closed. Van had done the same thing. When Allen opened his eyes and Van had picked up the paper again and opened his, Allen saw the back of Hitomi's head She turned around revealing her grandmother's looks and Allen turned white. Hitomi remained silent but Allen stared at her. Then Hitomi walked over to the table and sat down. Then Millerna broke the silence by saying, "What would you like to eat Hitomi-san?" At that Van and Allen both stood up fast making a big noise and they yelled, "HITOMI?"  
  
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Well that's the end of that chapter. Again I apologize about this being so late. and I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best one but I kind of wanted to finish it before my Birthday party tomorrow. I hope you guys aren't to angry at me. Anyway enjoy. Thank you. 


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